Happy Thursday! I can’t believe that we are only two days away from a new year!! 2021 has flown by so fast, especially these last few moths. They’ve felt like such a whirlwind. It looks like 2022 is bringing us some fantastic books! Let’s check them out!
Jan. 4th: Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Echoes and Empires #1
Page Length: 400
Publisher: Razorbill
Synopsis: A snarky seventeen-year-old must team up with an enigmatic criminal to cure herself of dangerous forbidden magic in the first book of a new fantasy duology from Morgan Rhodes, the New York Times bestselling author of the Falling Kingdoms series.
Josslyn Drake knows only three things about magic: it’s rare, illegal, and always deadly. So when she’s caught up in a robbery gone wrong at the Queen’s Gala and infected by a dangerous piece of magic—one that allows her to step into the memories of an infamously evil warlock—she finds herself living her worst nightmare. Joss needs the magic removed before it corrupts her soul and kills her. But in Ironport, the cost of doing magic is death, and seeking help might mean scheduling her own execution. There’s nobody she can trust.
Nobody, that is, except wanted criminal Jericho Nox, who offers her a deal: his help extracting the magic in exchange for the magic itself. And though she’s not thrilled to be working with a thief, especially one as infuriating (and infuriatingly handsome) as Jericho, Joss is desperate enough to accept.
But Jericho is nothing like Joss expects. The closer she grows with Jericho and the more she sees of the world outside her pampered life in the city, the more Joss begins to question the beliefs she’s always taken for granted—beliefs about right and wrong, about power and magic, and even about herself.
In an empire built on lies, the truth may be her greatest weapon.
Jan. 4th: The Kindred by Alechia Dow
Page Length: 400
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Synopsis: To save a galactic kingdom from revolution, Kindred mind-pairings were created to ensure each and every person would be seen and heard, no matter how rich or poor…
Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life—apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility’s most infamous playboy brings.
Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan. He will exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him choose his own future and finally meet his Kindred face-to-face.
Then the royal family is assassinated, putting Felix next in line for the throne…and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he’s dead, which means they’ll target Joy, too. Meeting in person for the first time as they steal a spacecraft and flee amid chaos might not be ideal…and neither is crash-landing on the strange backward planet called Earth. But hiding might just be the perfect way to discover the true strength of the Kindred bond and expose a scandal—and a love—that may decide the future of a galaxy.
Jan 6th: Kynhaven by Sarah Westill
Series: Gen Heirs: The Guardians of Sziveria #3
Page Length: 344
Synopsis: Mason Dandridge thought he could survive anything—fate’s about to test his strength and resolve.
Tragedy sends Mason to Westica, on the hunt for Jessalyn Silverna, the only surviving victim of a sadistic killer-for-hire. What he finds is a broken woman, emotionally and physically scarred, unable to see her beauty or authority as a woman. Needing answers only she can provide, Mason is determined to persuade Jessi to return with him to Sziveria.
Learning her brutal past was a calculated plan turns Jessi’s life upside down.
The quiet, sheltered existence she’s been living isn’t feasible anymore. Outside forces prove she’s incapable of life on her own, leaving Jessi with little options but to agree to Mason’s plan.
But life in Sziveria isn’t any easier, or less dangerous.
Jessi’s genetic gift reveals a dark secret lurking in the Primary Guardian’s home. More than her talent is awakened though, as Mason urges Jessi to discover her sensual power, long hidden under the scars of her past. Wounds he’s determined to heal one kiss at a time…
Jan. 6th: The Scandalous Vixen by Tracy Sumner
Series: The Duchess Society #2
Publisher: WOLF Publishing
Synopsis: In this enemies-to-lovers Regency romance by award-winning author Tracy Sumner, a bold lady and a ruthless duke realize they need to agree to an ardent alliance to get what they want.
He knew at first sight.
She knew at first kiss.
Helena Astley, Lady Hell to the ton, has plans. To control her father’s shipping business, to live her way, by her rules. Her plan is going remarkably well until one ill-advised kiss invites the duke she doesn’t want but cannot resist into her life.
Hardnosed Roan Darlington, Duke of Leighton, cares little for society or finding a duchess. The only person ever to challenge him is the incorrigible, infuriating Helena Astley. The one woman he’s never been able to forget. When they’re caught in a ruinous situation, Roan offers her an alternative. A sham engagement she can break off after Christmas.
As they discover a world of forbidden pleasure, Helena must decide if she can relinquish a heart she vowed to withhold from the only man powerful enough to seize it.
And Roan must decide if falling madly, passionately in love is worth the risk.
Jan. 11th: Ashes of Gold by J. Elle
Series: Wings of Ebony #2
Page Length: 416
Synopsis: In the heart-pounding conclusion to the Wings of Ebony duology, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicole Yoon calls “bold, inventive, big-hearted and deeply perceptive,” Rue makes her final stand to reclaim her people’s stolen magic.
Rue has no memory of how she ended up locked in a basement prison without her magic or her allies. But she’s a girl from the East Row. And girls from the East Row don’t give up. Girls from the East Row pick themselves back up when they fall. Girls from the East Row break themselves out.
But reuniting with her friends is only half the battle. When she finds them again, Rue makes a vow: she will find a way to return the magic that the Chancellor has stolen from her father’s people. Yet even on Yiyo Peak, Rue is a misfit—with half a foot back in Houston and half a heart that is human as well as god, she’s not sure she’s the right person to lead the fight to reclaim a glorious past.
When a betrayal sends her into a tailspin, Rue must decide who to trust and how to be the leader that her people deserve…because if she doesn’t, it isn’t just Yiyo that will be destroyed—it will be Rue herself.
Jan . 11th: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Series: The Celestial Kingdom Duology #1
Page Length: 412
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Synopsis: A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.
Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.
Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.
To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting, romantic duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.
Jan. 11th: Out Front the Following Sea by Leah Angstman
Title: Out Front the Following Sea
Author: Leah Angstman
Page Length: 334
Publication Date: Jan. 11, 2022
Publisher: Regal House Publishing
Genre: Historical / Literary / Epic
*Shortlisted for the Chaucer Book Award*
Synopsis: Out Front the Following Sea is a historical epic of one woman’s survival in a time when the wilderness is still wild, heresy is publicly punishable, and being independent is worse than scorned — it is a death sentence. At the onset of King William’s War between French and English settlers in 1689 New England, Ruth Miner is accused of witchcraft for the murder of her parents and must flee the brutality of her town. She stows away on the ship of the only other person who knows her innocence: an audacious sailor — Owen — bound to her by years of attraction, friendship, and shared secrets. But when Owen’s French ancestry finds him at odds with a violent English commander, the turmoil becomes life-or-death for the sailor, the headstrong Ruth, and the cast of Quakers, Pequot Indians, soldiers, highwaymen, and townsfolk dragged into the fray. Now Ruth must choose between sending Owen to the gallows or keeping her own neck from the noose.
Steeped in historical events and culminating in a little-known war on pre-American soil, Out Front the Following Sea is a story of early feminism, misogyny, arbitrary rulings, and the treatment of outcasts, with parallels still mirrored and echoed in today’s society.
Jan. 12th: Using Fejo by Victoria Aveline
Series: The Clecanian Series #5
Publication Date: Jan. 12, 2022
Synopsis: She’ll do anything to get home. He’ll do anything to keep her with him, forever…
Vanessa doesn’t have the luxury of building a happily ever after on a new planet like her fellow alien abduction survivors. She must get back to Earth. Her family needs her, and she can’t afford to let them down again. So, she’ll find a way to break Clecanian law and get home—even if she has to marry (and betray) a sexy space pirate to do it.
Fejo can’t believe his luck when Vanessa, a gorgeous human with a sharp tongue, chooses him as her husband. He doesn’t know what he did to win her favor, but he’s determined to do everything in his power to make her happy. If only he could figure out why his alien bride is so reluctant to accept the kindness—and pleasure—he’s so eager to offer.
Vanessa’s plan was simple. Until she started falling for her ridiculously charming husband. Now, she has to figure out how to get home without breaking Fejo’s heart—or her own. Easy, right?
Jan. 18th: Bound by Firelight by Dana Swift
Series: Wickery #2
Page Length: 448
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Synopsis: After a magical eruption devastates the kingdom of Belwar, royal heir Adraa is falsely accused of masterminding the destruction and forced to stand trial in front of her people, who see her as a monster. Adraa’s punishment? Imprisonment in the Dome, an impenetrable, magic-infused fortress filled with Belwar’s nastiest criminals—many of whom Adraa put there herself. And they want her to pay.
Jatin, the royal heir to Naupure, has been Adraa’s betrothed, nemesis, and fellow masked vigilante . . . but now he’s just a boy waiting to ask her the biggest question of their lives. First, though, he’s going to have to do the impossible: break Adraa out of the Dome. And he won’t be able to do it without help from the unlikeliest of sources—a girl from his past with a secret that could put them all at risk.
Time is running out, and the horrors Adraa faces in the Dome are second only to the plot to destabilize and destroy their kingdoms. But Adraa and Jatin have saved the world once already. . . . Now, can they save themselves?
Jan 18th: Edgewood by Kristen Ciccarelli
Page Length: 384
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis:No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.
When she learns her grandfather disappeared from his nursing home, leaving only a milky orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. After searching for him almost everywhere, Emeline finally succumbs to the call of Edgewood, entering the forest she has spent years trying to escape.
Emeline finds herself in the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal—her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of a life she has worked so hard to forget.
With the help of a handsome and brooding tithe collector, a surly blacksmith, and a lost childhood friend, Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.
Jan 18th: Love and Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
Page Length: 384
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: The first openly nonbinary contestant on America’s favorite cooking show falls for their clumsy competitor in this delicious romantic comedy debut “that is both fantastically fun and crack your heart wide open vulnerable.” (Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate)
Recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, Dahlia Woodson is ready to reinvent herself on the popular reality competition show Chef’s Special. Too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying—not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. Still, she’s focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money.
After announcing their pronouns on national television, London Parker has enough on their mind without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. They’re there to prove the trolls—including a fellow contestant and their dad—wrong, and falling in love was never part of the plan.
As London and Dahlia get closer, reality starts to fall away. Goodbye, guilt about divorce, anxiety about uncertain futures, and stress from transphobia. Hello, hilarious shenanigans on set, wedding crashing, and spontaneous dips into the Pacific. But as the finale draws near, Dahlia and London’s steamy relationship starts to feel the heat both in and outside the kitchen—and they must figure out if they have the right ingredients for a happily ever after.
Jan. 22nd: Frozen Hearts and Death Magic by Day Leitao
Series: Of Fire & Fae #1
Synopsis: A forbidden fae kiss could be deadly.
Naia was raised in the shadow of her twin brother, the crown prince, who has iron magic much more powerful than hers. But Naia has wishes of her own. They awaken when she finds a white fae almost dying in the woods. She only heard of them in stories; the dreaded race that razed cities to the ground, killed her grandparents, almost rid Aluria of humans—until they disappeared. Now, twenty years later, are they back? Is there another war coming?
But the fae is evasive and secretive—and also alluring and fascinating, more beautiful than anyone she’s ever seen. And then it happens: Naia kisses him—and nothing will be the same again.
In another kingdom, Leah, a necromancer princess, has to find a husband in less than four days, during the gathering, when royals from all over Aluria meet. Her family makes it very clear that she can pick any prince she wants—except one: Naia’s brother. And it turns out that he’s the one; the one who makes her heart beat faster.
Meanwhile, war looms over the land. One of the kingdoms is amassing immense power. The White Fae might be returning. Amidst it all, Naia and her brother struggle with newfound magical powers, family secrets, and most of all, their own treacherous hearts.
Frozen Hears and Death Magic is a telenovela-inspired upper YA romantic fantasy for fans of multi-POV stories, forbidden love, enemies to lovers, family drama, royal intrigue, and mysterious magic. It’s book 1 of the Duology Of Fire and Fae, recommended for readers 16 and up.
Jan. 25th: Highland Wolf by Lynsay Sands
Series: Highland Brides #10
Page Length: 384
Publisher: Avon
Synopsis: New York Times Bestselling Author Lynsay Sands delivers another sexy historical romance set in the wilds of the Highlands
In all her daydreams about her wedding day, Lady Claray MacFarlane never once imagined being dragged to the altar by her greedy uncle and forced to marry a man she didn’t know. But that’s what happened, or would have, had a Highland warrior not snatched her up at the last minute and ridden off with her in his arms…
They call him the Wolf. The mercenary’s courage and prowess in battle are known throughout the Highlands, and with his handsome face and black-as-sin hair, he was as intelligent and deadly as the wolf he was named for…
But the Wolf is also Claray’s betrothed. Thought to have been killed as a child, he’d been in hiding all these years. Now, he’s determined to earn enough coin to rebuild his home, reclaim his birthright, and honor his marriage contract to Claray. For he’s fallen for the tender-hearted lass…and he will do anything to protect her and their future together.
Jan. 25th: Texas Homecoming by Carolyn Brown
Series: The Ryan Family #2
Page Length: 336
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: The bestselling Queen of Cowboy Romance delivers a heartwarming novel where a doctor and veterinarian get a second chance at true love when a storm traps them together.
After traveling the world, Dr. Cody Ryan has finally come home to his foster family’s ranch in Honey Grove, Texas. But all his time in Doctors Without Borders couldn’t have prepared him for the sudden blizzard that forces him to take shelter in an old barn—or for the shock of watching Stephanie O’Dell yank open that same barn door minutes later. He’s barely seen the gorgeous veterinarian since he returned, so why is she icier than the wind outside?
Stephanie—better known as Dr. Stevie around Sunflower Ranch—has been treating the cattle there for years…and not one of them is as bullheaded as Cody. He’s completely forgotten how he broke her heart, back when she was a teenager smitten by his easy charm and sharp wit. But as the blizzard rages on, trapping Cody and Stevie together, it’s clear that the fire they’ve built to keep warm isn’t the only source of sparks in that barn. Once the storm passes, will Stevie and Cody discover that they’ve fallen in love …and will either of them ever admit it?
Are you excited to read any of these? Which January releases are you most excited for? Comment below!
Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Edgewood sounds so good! I also cannot wait for Where the Drowned Girls Go!
I haven’t heard of that one. I’ll have to check it out!
Very excited for The Kindred!!
Oooh, yes! It sounds great!
Thanks for including The Scandalous Vixen on this amazing list! I loved writing it. What a duke wants…a duke gets.
You’re very welcome! This series is sooooo good!!
I have Edgewood and will be reading it soon. I absolutely love the cover. ❤️
It’s stunning! I hope you enjoy the book and have a happy new year!
Echoes and Empires I am so excited for! I already have it on hold at my library, lol.
Lol – It sounds fantastic!
Ooh, so many to add to my TBR 😂 I guess I’m building up my 2022 releases list a bit late but better late than never right? 🤪
Hahaha – it’s never too late! Happy new year, Dini! 🙂